


kiss me (for science!)

by wartransmission



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff without Plot, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 07:50:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8703829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wartransmission/pseuds/wartransmission
Summary: Steve blinks. For a moment, all he does is stare, because that can’t be right. His ears are definitely misleading him, because Tony can’t seriously be asking him for a kiss just to prove that his lip balm is working well. As though to prove how surreal it is to himself, he says, “So you want me to kiss you to prove that your lips are, actually, soft.”





	

“- _kiss me._ ”

For a moment, Steve thinks he’s misheard Tony’s words, because there is _no way_ Tony would ask that of him. Flirty as Tony is, he’s never been that _direct_ (even when Steve kind of wants him to be, because it’s kind of hard to make a move when he can’t tell if Tony is being serious with any of it).

“What?” he asks.

“You’re not deaf, super-soldier,” Tony tuts, hands on his hips as he squints up at him. Steve struggles not to smile at the obvious height difference, even though he kind of wants to because an annoyed Tony is an adorable Tony.

“I’m not,” he agrees, though he dons an unsure look when Tony keeps staring expectantly at him. “But I’m not sure I heard you right.”

“I said you should kiss me!” Tony says, hands flying up for emphasis. “For _science!_ ”

“…science,” he repeats. He gives Tony a look, one that very clearly says “are you sure you’re okay and you haven’t hit your head on something?” “I’m…not sure I see your point, here.”

“Clearly you and Bruce would make perfect buddies, because neither of you listen to me,” Tony grumbles. Nigh instantly, the guilt starts chewing along Steve’s chest, and he bites the inside of his cheek to stifle a groan of dismay at himself.

_Why does he keep messing this up?!_

“No, I,” he starts, feeling a cool sweat forming on his nape when Tony looks at him with a raised brow, “I just- got lost in thought, for a bit. I do listen to you. I just don’t understand how us kissing is relevant to science.” _Even though I would, in fact, be completely willing to kiss you for whatever reason,_ he doesn’t say.

“Well,” Tony drawls in a hesitant tone, the familiarity of which immediately giving Steve a sense of foreboding, “I bought new lip balm at Jan’s recommendation, and it smells nice- kinda like vanilla?- and I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but I’m thinking that it makes my lips feel even softer than before.”

Steve frowns, and says, “And that has something to do with me, why..?”

Tony stands up to his full height, straightening up quickly as though trying to pose an imposing figure even when he knows it won’t work as well on Steve (or on anyone at all, to be honest). “I want an outsider’s opinion. I can’t have proof of the actual quality if I don’t get evidence from an external variable.”

Steve blinks. For a moment, all he does is stare, because that _can’t_ be right. His ears are _definitely_ misleading him, because Tony can’t seriously be asking him for a kiss just to prove that his lip balm is working well. As though to prove how surreal it is to himself, he says, “So you want me to kiss you to prove that your lips are, actually, soft.”

“Got it in one, Captain Handsome,” Tony says with a bright smile and a wink, and Steve finds himself melting at the sight of him. _Damn it._ He’s too weak to actually say no to a harmless request, especially when he knows that it’ll be something he’d like too.

“Are you sure you don’t just want a kiss from me?” he asks. (Just because he’s flummoxed at the request doesn’t mean he can’t sass back- if he let himself be flustered all the time, he’d get absolutely nothing done.)

“Well, there’s that too,” Tony says in a notably played-up casual tone, which further emphasizes the significance of the request for him.

(Hope is an easy thing to crush, but _oh_ , it blooms far, far too easily.)

“C’mon, then,” he says, playing at confidence as he opens his arms to Tony in a gesture of acceptance. “If it’s for _science_ ,” he says, drawling the last word to try and tease him, “then I’m all for it.”

“Didn’t take you to be much of a science person, actually,” Tony says, though he comes closer anyway. He visibly hesitates once he’s just a foot away, looking down at Steve’s open arms then up at his patient smile. Steve wiggles his fingers a bit along with his eyebrows to try and make Tony laugh, which he’s guessing is a success going by the upward quirk of Tony’s lips and the tiny giggle-like sound escaping his mouth.

“Not much for science, really,” he admits, carefully placing his hands on Tony’s hips the moment he’s near enough. Then he smiles down at Tony, who smiles right back with mild confusion. “But I’m all in for you.”

(Quietly, he gives himself a pat on the back and a little mental cheer for the success at delivering that line.)

“Oh,” Tony says- _squeaks_ , rather, which is far cuter than he’d expected the sound would be coming from him. “That’s, um.”

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he says, a little more for his own benefit than Tony’s. It’s a lot easier getting into it when he’s verbalizing the experience, though it only seems to unnerve Tony as his eyes widen in surprise at him. “For science,” he whispers while leaning closer, a genuinely fond smile settling on his lips when Tony starts blushing, “right?”

“Right!” Tony half-squeaks, half-mumbles, brown eyes fluttering closed as Steve leans in, closer and closer.

Tony makes a tiny sound the moment their lips meet, and Steve feels long eyelashes fluttering over his cheeks when he tilts his head for better access. He’s no poet, really, and the experience of the kiss itself is unremarkable- it’s just two pairs of lips pressing together, after all- but _Tony_ as it happens is so unbelievably wonderful, with his hands clutching at Steve’s denim jacket and his body warm against Steve’s chest, his voice so sweet as he hums into the kiss—

It’s the best kiss he’s ever had, hands down.

They pull away from the kiss eventually, but not from each other. Tony’s hands settle flatly on Steve’s chest instead of clutching at him, and he lowers himself from his tiptoes while looking up at him. “So,” Tony pauses, clearing his throat for a bit before repeating, “so? How was it?”

“I’m not too sure,” he confesses, his own smile feeling soft and shy on his face as he leans down to press their foreheads together. Tony blinks up at him, smiling back with a similar kind of shyness. Steve asks, “Can I re-do it?”

Tony grins, and Steve feels the lightest he’s ever felt since being un-stuck in time. Tony says, “That’s definitely a _yes,_ ” and Steve-

Steve thinks that things are only going to get better, now that he knows he can have this.

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired entirely by my own experience with my new lip balm (it's so nice what the heck), and bc I am enough of a shameless person to actually ask someone to kiss me for the sake of science lmfao. I had a feeling that Tony would be the same, maybe, so it became...this. iT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DRABBLE Lol i got carried away
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr ([jadedgalvanizer](jadedgalvanizer.tumblr.com)) if u wanna talk stevetony/viktuuri/absolutely anything, even the daunting inevitability of the world's collapse!! Thanks for reading ♥


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